Mated Against My Will

The forest blurred past me like a glitchy video game on 2x speed. Trees zipped by, wind screaming in my ears, and I was fully in my zone—jet-black fur, claws digging into the earth, moving like a damn missile. Behind me? The rest of the Blackwell pack, trying to keep up like NPCs chasing the main character. "Slow down, your highness. Us simpletons need to catch up," Aiden called out, voice laced with his usual smartass energy. I growled—a real one. Not because I was mad, but because I could. I mean, come on. Alpha perks. Lightning cracked above like nature's own jump scare, and thunder growled back, but I didn’t slow down. I just pushed harder, muscles burning in that good way. The Blackwell wolves weren’t just a regular pack. Nah—we were the pack. Royal bloodline, elite status, all that legendary nonsense. Especially in the Nightshades District, where the supernatural lived like an exclusive club away from humans. Most wolves stayed hidden. Not me though. I chose the chaos. I liked blending in with humans. Pretending. Hiding. I had this neat little trick where I could change my eye color to look more human. But when the emotions hit too hard? Yeah, my wolf eyes broke through. Not great for subtlety. The cabin came into view, sitting right on the line between Nightshades and California. It was low-key, but kinda perfect. My not-so-humble hideout. Home base. It looked peaceful from the outside, but this place had seen some serious drama. I leapt onto the porch and landed like a ninja—no sound, no struggle. I waited, tail twitching, staring at the stormy sky like I dared it to try something. I wasn’t just some fancy werewolf. I was the Damien Ashworth. Heir to the throne, walking disaster, weather god. Literally. “Don’t be so emo,” Logan’s voice popped into my mind like a mental DM. He padded up beside me in his brown-and-white wolf form. “The elders have been on your tail about finding your mate for months. Let it go, man.” I rolled my eyes so hard I swear I saw my own brain. Mate this, bloodline that. It was exhausting. “They just want to make sure you pop out an heir,” Kael said, already shifting into human form like it was no big deal. The others followed, shaking off their fur and slipping into sweatpants like a whole Abercrombie ad for supernatural dudes. “News flash,” I said, voice dry enough to cause a drought, “I am the heir. Mate or not. Elders can’t take that away, and I’m not interested in playing house.” Logan smirked, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “Okay, but maybe chill with the storm vibes? You’re scaring Zev.” He nodded to the little dude trotting over, all wide eyes and puppy energy. With a huff, I closed my eyes and reeled in the storm. Deep breaths. Focus. The clouds eased up, thunder shut the hell up, and the moon peeked through like it was spying. See? I had that kind of power. Weather-bending. Neat, right? Lucian looked pissed, probably still salty from that prank earlier. Whatever. My emotions were literally tied to the climate—no big deal or anything. I glanced at the pack and muttered, “Honestly, I’d rather get eaten by a hunter than tied down by some fated ‘mate.’” Ethan chuckled from the stairs. “Yeah, well, that’s because they’re in love. Love changes people.” I blinked at him, deadpan. “Don’t even say that word around me.” Aiden tossed me a shirt like he was sick of seeing my abs (jealous), and we all headed inside. Logan carried Zev down on his back like some fuzzy babysitter. “You’ll meet your mate eventually, Damien. If you don’t find her, she’ll find you. You can’t fight fate.” Lucian flopped onto the couch, feet up, grinning like a jerk. “Don’t stress. If she’s too much for you, just hand her over to me. I’ll treat her like royalty.” Zev gasped dramatically and pointed. “I’m telling your mate you were flirting with Damien’s!” Lucian threw a pillow at him, face red. “Scram, squ*irt! You look like a wet mop.” Zev just rolled his eyes and pretended he didn’t hear, full sass mode. Aiden clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You can’t dodge the pull forever, bro. You might not believe in mates now, but once it hits? Boom. You’re toast.” I snorted. “I’ll probably hate her on sight. And honestly? I’d rather choke on silver than get all soft over some girl.” Kael shook his head like a tired dad. “You don’t get it. The bond goes both ways. You’re gonna feel it too.” “Sure,” I said, already halfway tuned out. “But the prophecy never said we had to fall in love. Just bond. That’s it. Fate doesn’t equal feelings.” Lucian scoffed. “You’re telling me all the epic werewolf love stories were just... accidents?” “Yup,” I said, biting into an apple like a mic drop. “Spend enough time stuck with someone, you’ll think you’re in love. It’s biology. Like Stockholm Syndrome, but make it furry.” Ethan, bless his dramatic heart, looked like I slapped him. “Dude. Wolves die for their mates. How is that not real?” I shrugged. “Selfish instinct. If they die, we feel pain. So we protect them to avoid hurting. Doesn’t mean it’s love.” And just like that, Ethan bolted upstairs, mad and probably planning a dramatic diary entry. Aiden glanced at me, raising a brow. Yeah, I’d gone a little far. But I wasn’t gonna fake it for their sake. Let them believe in love stories. I believed in storms. In control. In never letting anyone get close enough to mess me up. Still… I hadn’t meant to hurt Ethan. I just stood there, staring at the floor like it had all the answers, while Kael headed upstairs to check on him. My jaw was tight, and guilt? Yeah, it was creeping in, biting harder than I liked to admit. Logan’s voice cut through the heavy silence. He had that calm-big-brother energy when he wanted to. “You should know better than to throw shade at Ethan over mates,” he said, setting Zev down gently. “It’s literally the only thing he holds onto after being ditched by his parents.” Yeah, ouch. That one hit. I looked away, flexing my jaw. “I get it, okay? I do. But seriously, why is everyone so freaking obsessed with this whole mate thing?” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration bubbling under my skin. “I’ve been shutting up about it for Ethan’s sake, but the elders? They’re breathing down my neck like I’ve got a damn countdown timer above my head.” Zev, ever the little menace, climbed up on the counter like it was a throne and hit me with, “So, are you gonna reject your mate? That’s never been done before.” Lucian blinked, looking more confused than offended. “Wait, is that even allowed? Like—dude, you're the prince. Isn’t that your whole job? Mate, produce an heir, keep the bloodline royal, yadda yadda?” I crossed my arms and leaned against the fridge, eyes narrowing. “If I have a mate, she'll just be the key to unlocking more of my power, that’s all. It’ll be like... an arranged marriage. I’ll feel the pull, yeah—but that’s just biology. The emotional crap? Skippable. Honestly, I just hope she’s not some clingy, love-crazed psycho who thinks I’m her fairytale ending.” Silence. Nobody said a word. Not even Zev, and that kid never shuts up. They knew better. I’ve made my stance clear since forever. Damien Ashworths, the royal wolf with a hardcore hatred for all things “mate.” The whole Nightshades district knew it too. Ever since I hit puberty and the whole “your soulmate is out there” convo came up, I laughed in the elders’ faces. “That’s just stupid,” 13-year-old me had said, arms crossed, voice cracking with conviction. They brushed it off like, “Oh, he’s young, he’ll come around.” Newsflash: I didn’t. And now I’m older, stronger, the future alpha of the freaking royal pack, and they’re still clinging to this idea that I’ll magically fall in love and pop out heirs. It’s exhausting. I threw my hands up. “Why can’t you guys find your mates already? I’m sick of the elders acting like it’s my fault no one here’s paired up yet.” Lucian groaned and rubbed his temples. “Dude. Believe me—we’re all trying. But full moons suck without our other halves. It’s like getting punched in the chest every month.” Zev nodded so hard I thought his head might fall off. “Facts. It’s rough.” Logan, always the clown, side-eyed Zev and said, “Look at my baby, all grown up, thinking with his d**k already.” Then he pulled Zev into a side hug, grinning like a goof. Aiden stepped in, the voice of reason as always. “Okay, but real talk—what’s your plan for surviving full moons?” He looked at me like I was a ticking time bomb, which, okay, fair. I shrugged. “Full moons are my jam. I get a surge of power, my senses are on point, I train harder, faster, stronger—no downside for me.” Aiden narrowed his eyes like he was mentally taking notes. “You just wait, man. When that mate pull hits? You’re not gonna be so smug.” Before I could throw another sarcastic reply, Kael came back down the stairs. His expression said Ethan was okay, just needed space. Everyone nodded silently, getting the memo to back off. One by one, the pack started disappearing to their rooms like ghosts scattering after a party. Typical. Every time the mating topic came up, it ended in awkward tension and nobody really knew what to say to me. I guess they’d all given up trying to change my mind. I couldn’t blame them. I walked over to the window and stared out into the night. My head was loud. Too loud. I started thinking about how I could convince the elders that I wasn’t ready for a mate, wasn’t meant for one. I didn’t even realize my emotions were stirring the damn sky again. The stars literally started twinkling more brightly, like someone had turned up the contrast in Photoshop. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just... happened. That’s the thing about my powers—they’re all tied to how I feel. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Just existing. Normally I’m careful not to mess with the sky around humans. Don’t want to end up on the news as the "weather glitch." But tonight? I didn’t care. Let them think it’s satellites or whatever. Humans are too distracted to notice anything real anyway. And if I do get a mate someday... she better be ready for a storm.